The Godfather
by BlackMoonWhiteSky
Summary: Reborn was her godfather, but he had never told her of his connection to the mafia. She was a natural hitman, a fact that pained him greatly because he had given his word to her father to protect her from the mafia life. Of course, she would be present when Tsunayoshi met Xanxus. Of course she would inadvertently piss off one of the single most dangerous men of the mafia. And live.
1. Don't Ask, Don't Tell

Reborn was literally her godfather, and has been her caretaker for many years, but he had never told her of his connections to the mafia. She was a natural hitman, a fact which pained him greatly because he had given his word to her father to protect her from the mafia life.

Of course, _**of course**_, she would be present when Tsunayoshi met Xanxus. Of course she would inadvertently piss off one of the single most dangerous men in the whole of the mafia world. And live. And of course she would find him fascinating. And vice versa.

As if trying to make No-Good Tsuna into a good Vongala boss wasn't difficult enough. Xanxus/OC

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**A/N I know it's been a while since I've updated anything, and I'm really sorry about that, but this semester of school has been rough and I haven't even been able to **_READ_** let alone write. Unlike Ornithophobic, this one is a new story, but in my defense I came up with the idea for this one right around the time I came up with The Lesser Evil and basically flipped a coin for which one to start first. But I'm an indecisive person so when I posted the first chapter for T.L.E.'s rewrite I decided to go ahead and post chapter one of this as well.**

**Rating is because, duh, it's the Varia. You expected something different?**

**Anywho, here's chapter one.**

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**The Godfather**

**Chapter 1: Don't Ask, Don't Tell**

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**====Story Start====**

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She knew something was up. She always knew, but just like every other time when he came to see her with that sour expression on his face- she didn't ask and he didn't tell.

"Uncle Reborn, what an unexpected surprise." She smiled prettily at him, purplish-blue eyes gleaming with happiness and that subtle under layer of intelligence –_She could be quite shrewd when she wanted to be, but liked to keep a façade of simplemindedness up in front of most people, as it was best to be underestimated whenever possible._\- that added just the slightest sharpness to her gaze, her blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail and draped over her left shoulder, and her body language conveying her joy at his presence. Reborn easily pictured the slack jawed, brainless reactions that would have occurred had there been anyone other than himself around to see it- the thought '_Mafia Seduction_' tickled the back of his mind.

"Citrine." He nodded his greeting. It was good to see her looking so happy and healthy- it had been a few weeks since his last visit and there was always the worry that someone would actually be both good enough to find out about her and foolish enough to actually attack her, despite knowing that she was protected by _**him**_.

She had bodyguards of course, but none that were blatantly protecting her- he would have to explain their presence since she was not, in-and-of-herself, an extremely important individual. Plus, he grimaced at the thought -_As he always did when reminded of her natural hitman talent._\- she was always noticing them as it was, if he were to put such obvious protectors around her she would accuse him of worrying too much.

Which he did, of course, Reborn took all his duties seriously. And, well... he actually _**liked**_ her. There were so very few individuals that he genuinely liked. Tolerated, sure, but liked? Not so much.

There were three main things that got you killed in his world:

1: Who you were.

2: What you had.

3: What you knew.

(**This was, of course, excluding the rule of simple bad luck, but that was also less directly related to number one, because you would only be in proximity to such dangers because of who you were anyways.**)

This particular young woman would be attacked because of number one. Who you were. Because who she _was_\- was Citrine Gallucci, natural hit(wo)man, artist, and _**Goddaughter**_ of the sun Arcobaleno, Reborn.

...

Let that sink in for a moment.

Goddaughter of _**Reborn**_.

_**The**_ Reborn.

You would have to be crazy, stupid, or _**both**_ to even contemplate attacking her. But it had happened. –_That was a dark day all around, and any witnesses to Reborn's furious retribution still suffered from the nightmares._\- She still had the scar across her throat to prove it, though it was covered by a scarf whenever he was around, because she could sense his unhappiness at the sight of it.

"You're looking very happy today, did something good happen?" He knew already, but he wanted her to tell him about it. She always seemed to be just a little happier when telling him good things. He never realized that it was because hearing those things seemed to make _**him**_ happy, and Citrine liked it when he was happy.

They had communication issues like that.

So she told him all about how she'd sold another painting, and wasn't it wonderful, and did he want to stay for dinner to celebrate, and the buyer was so handsome too –_Here Reborn's customary smirk became more of a scowl._\- and she already had a new idea for a painting, and she really felt like cooking in celebration, and maybe dancing a bit, too. And after finally winding down she fell silent, because she recognized the look on Reborn's face. He had upsetting news to share with her.

"I have a new job." He had never told her what his jobs were, and she never asked, but sometimes he would catch a glimpse of _**something**_ in her face, and in that moment he knew that she knew. Maybe not the specifics, but she had a basic idea. She was smart, after all.

She sighed, and leaned back into the chair she had settled in, looking resigned. "Where are we moving this time?" Because he only ever told her about a job if it had the potential to take over a year to complete, since he deemed that to be a period of time that was too long for her to go without his protection. In those situations, she was required to move closer with him, and the less danger the mission involved, the closer to him she was.

"Japan." She nodded, looking neither happy, nor unhappy, and mumbled something under her breath about needing to brush up on her Japanese a bit. She had learned several different languages for her art dealings, but always seemed to learning a new one –_Yet another example of her natural inclinations towards things that would make her a good Mafioso._\- so he was not remotely surprised to learn that she was fluent in Japanese.

And she looked up at him, a question on the tip of her tongue before she swallowed it back, because, _**after all**_, he never told.

And she never asked.

* * *

_Citrine is a yellow-to-golden member of the quartz mineral group._ _Citrine is a success stone._

_Gallucci, an alternative spelling for Gallo: __From the Latin __**gallus**__, meaning "cock, rooster," Gallo was a nickname for a proud person, especially one with a "cocky" or vain attitude. It, like many other such nicknames, eventually became a surname. It (Gallo) is among the 20 most common Italian surnames. [I think it falls at around number 12]_


	2. Pitiful Things

Reborn was literally her godfather, and has been her caretaker for many years, but he had never told her of his connections to the mafia. She was a natural hitman, a fact which pained him greatly because he had given his word to her father to protect her from the mafia life.

Of course, _**of course**_, she would be present when Tsunayoshi met Xanxus. Of course she would inadvertently piss off one of the single most dangerous man in the whole of the mafia world. And live. And of course she would find him fascinating. And vice versa.

As if trying to make No-Good Tsuna into a good Vongola boss wasn't difficult enough.

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**A/N I'm really sorry about the long wait! I know, I haven't updated in a while, I'm such a terrible author! *hides face in shame***

**So! First and foremost, I'd like to thank everyone that favorited/alerted, and a special thanks to **BabyShinji**, **belladu57**, **Mupfel** (Guest),** Guest **(kind of obviously- Guest), **xenocanaan**, **Marion** (Guest), and **Loopy** (Guest) for the reviews! I really appreciate your kind words.**

**Secondly... angst. Sorry. This chapter was just bound and determined to be angst-y, there was nothing to be done. That said, remember, this is KHR! It's only a matter of time before hilarious, weird shit starts happening. Promise.**

**Annnd, yeah. Stuff.**

**Hope you enjoy the next chapter of **_The Godfather**.**_

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**The Godfather**

**Chapter 2: Pitiful Things**

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**====Story Start====**

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Reborn had set her up in a nice, little –_Yeah, not really so little._\- home on the wealthier side of town. She had room for an art studio and a library, and the kitchen was probably big enough to feed fifty people at once. The property was spacious- the house set far back from the street, and was secured by a twenty foot tall cement wall that went all the way around.

It was beautiful.

It was calm.

It was quiet.

It was safe.

...It was also terribly, _horribly_, lonely.

The silence echoed.

But Citrine was used to that- used to the loneliness she felt whenever Reborn was between visits. Especially when she was put up somewhere large where she lived all by herself. That's why she was always going out and doing things in places with lots of loud people, and making as many friends as she could. She wasn't the sort to discriminate, –_old or young, rich or poor, energetic or lethargic, ugly or beautiful_\- if they were willing to be her friend, she was willing to be theirs.

Unless they set her red alert off.

It was strange, and somewhat hard to describe- her red alert. It was just this instinctual warning she had- it told her when a person or situation was... wrong. It had saved her life on more than one occasion. Reborn always affected an expression that was a mixture of proud and frustrated when she told him about it, so she tended not to tell him.

But when her red alert went off, she listened without hesitation.

It was because she had such keen instincts that she was not even a little bit afraid to go wondering on her own (**She'd given her guards the slip almost as soon as she left the house, which was a bit mean of her -**_Reborn would not be pleased with them at all_**\- but she didn't feel like having babysitters for the day.**) in a strange market, in an odd town, in a foreign country. Her uncle would not be happy to find that she'd quickly picked up someone to show her around, even if the person in question was little more than a child.

They'd been in this city for several weeks now, although some days it felt like only yesterday that she'd had to leave her studio behind. To keep the loneliness at bay she made it a point to go somewhere new at least once every four days or so. Today it was a market in the middle class area of town. Citrine had almost immediately attached herself to a messy haired boy who looked completely overwhelmed by the list he had clutched in one hand.

She got the boy to relax by slowly talking to him, pulling details from him like his name (**Tsunayoshi Sawada**), his age (**13**), even where he went to school (**Namimori Middle**). Fifteen minutes into their acquaintance and she had him smiling, blushing, (**He was so adorable!**) and stuttering through an account of the child who was terrorizing him under the pretense of tutoring him.

She had, of course, quickly realized exactly who the boy was talking about- the curly sideburns, lizard named Leon, and black and orange fedora were all rather obvious giveaways. She would have known who it was even if he hadn't attributed those characteristics to a talking baby. And then there was the fact that they were being followed by a woman whom Citrine was quite familiar with.

She gave no acknowledgment to her godfather's stalker, though she found herself instinctively guiding her new young friend away from certain (**suspicious, purple, smoking**) things around the market, all while listening to his stories with rapt attention. It was nice, hearing stories about her beloved godfather from someone new for a change.

Citrine had to hide a smile on more than one occasion, not wanting to hurt her young friend's feelings by laughing at his misery. She had, after all, grown up with the influence of Reborn- it was only natural she have a sadistic streak. Some parts of Tsuna's tale brought a darkness to her eyes, though well concealed, for they confirmed things she'd always suspected but never truly known for sure. As always, though, she would say nothing of it until he did.

Somewhere between their shopping and their talking, they'd managed to arrive at Tsuna's street. Citrine gave him a broad, almost sisterly smile- it conveyed compassion and understanding, and it gave the young boy a warm, comfortable feeling in his chest.

"Well, despite everything that's happened, it sounds like you've made some really good friends." That strange -_Vongola_\- insight of his told him that talk of friends made her sad, though he could find no sign of it anywhere on her face. He wasn't sure why he thought it, but he was certain that she was sad. "You should cherish them with all your heart." She stopped then, staring at him with eyes that were suddenly a thousand times more focused than they had been the whole time they'd been shopping together- he felt like she was stripping the soul from his bones and holding it to the light for examination. Then she smiled again -_he couldn't quite remember when she'd stopped_\- and stooped down to give him a friendly peck on the cheek. "This is my number. I don't know how much help I'll be, but if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to give me a call."

She left then, walking off like she hadn't a care in the world. It was only when the boy, blushing with embarrassment, looked at the paper in his hand and saw the word written neatly beside the number that he realized he'd gone the whole time without knowing her name. He felt a moment of shame in that- for dumping all his problems on her without even that courtesy, but then he remembered that smile and instead of shame, he felt a determination to make it up to her the next time they spoke.

_Citrine._

He wondered if this was how it felt to have someone older to actually look up to.

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Citrine wasn't much surprised to find him waiting for her when she arrived home, though, for once, she did not immediately acknowledge him. Hearing Tsuna's tale, knowing what she did, there was no doubt the boy had eyes on him at all times. Of course Reborn would be waiting.

She put away the groceries she'd bought in silence, never glancing away from her task. She was waiting for something- an apology, maybe. He said not a word, so her lips twisted into an ironic smile, mirthless, and she turned towards her bedroom without ever glancing at him. She stopped there, hand on the knob, and spoke with a coldness that had never been directed at him before. "Remember that he is also a child."

And the door closed behind her.

He grimaced, it was that oh-so specific grimace that only appeared when her natural hitman talents showed themselves. _Also _a child, not _just_; she knew that Tsuna wasn't -_couldn't be_\- _**just**_ a child. He was to be the Vongola Tenth, and she understood that. She understood it even better than Dame Tsuna did.

He left.

Citrine stood, back pressed to the door, hand mindlessly running up and down the part of the scar that was on her throat. She was feeling old for once, really feeling the weight of her adulthood. Barely twenty-two, she'd been taken care of her whole life- it made it hard, sometimes, to really feel like the adult she was supposed to be. She had a role to play, and some days that knowledge was the only thing keeping her from reaching out for the burdens and freedoms that were just waiting for her.

Odd that she would feel trapped by the love of others- first her father, and then Reborn.

She pitied Tsuna, and for a moment... she pitied herself.


End file.
